This application relates to communication and in particular relates to integration of existing communication formats in a manner that provides additional functionality to a user.
Various communication formats are commonly used for electronic communication. In particular, email and instant messenger formats are commonly used for communication through a personal computer (PC) or other device. Telephone communication is generally performed using a dedicated stand-alone telephone device (desktop telephone, cell phone, or other device). In some cases Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) may allow telephone communication using a PC or similar device. Generally, some additional hardware is needed to use a PC in this way (e.g. an IP handset). Where a telephone is integrated with a PC in this way (as a softphone) telephone calls are generally made on a peer-to-peer basis. Softphones have certain advantages including the ability to manage telephone communication in ways that are more difficult from a traditional telephone. For example, a call may be made from an address book simply by clicking on the phone number, instead of punching the number into a keypad. A call log may be automatically maintained. Because such features are not generally available with stand-alone telephones, there is a need for better integration of telephone and computer based communication systems to provide additional functions with stand-alone telephones.